Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Southern Giant Curled Mustard is an award winning and fast growing plant with heavy yields that is also resistant to bolting. It is recommended to grow them at the mildest time of year for your climate, or in the spring and fall for hotter climates and the summer for colder climates. These up-right growing leaves are large and bountiful with a pungent earthy and peppery flavor. Southern Giant Mustard is great added to soups or stews, sauteed alongside other greens, fresh in a salad, or even frozen or pickled for use during the winter months. You can harvest these greens at their young baby stages or allow them to reach up to 5 inches in height to harvest at full maturity. You can also use this seed to grow microgreens!
NAME: Mustard (Brassica juncea)
VARIETY: Southern Giant Curled
DAYS TO MATURITY: 45 – 50 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: Annual
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 2 – 11
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun / Partial Shade
SOIL: Fertile, loam soil with a pH 6.0 – 6.7
PLANT HEIGHT: 12 – 18 inches
SPACING: 5 – 7 inches apart
TEMP: 45 – 85ºF
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
Starting mustard seed indoors is possible but not recommended, due to the small roots of the seedlings that are prone to ripping and difficult to transplant.
Using a loose & fluffy seed starting soil mix that has been moistened but not soaked, start seeds indoors 1 week before your last local frost date.
In a cell tray, place 1 to 2 seeds per cell and cover with a dusting of soil, watering seeds in generously.
Once seeds sprout and true leaves show, thin to one seedling per cell.
Before transplanting outdoors, harden off seedlings for several days. Do this by taking them outside during the day and bringing them in at night (Outside temps should be above 50°F when you start this process).
When transplanting, plant the seedling into the soil up to the base of the stem, spacing the plants 5 to 6 inches apart.
Direct seed mustard outdoors after temperatures have reached 45°F and all threat of frost has passed.
Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep and 1 inch apart in a prepared & appropriate soil bed.
Water the seed in well and keep the soil moistened throughout the germination process, which takes 6 to 10 days outdoors.
Once they show their true leaves and get to be a few inches tall, thin them out to 1 seedling spaced 5 to 6 inches apart.
Mustard grows best in loose, fertile soil with good drainage and a pH between 5.5-6.8.
Adding compost to the soil prior to planting will help provide essential nutrients and improve drainage.
Prepare soil bed by removing rocks, roots and other debris.
In the Spring & Fall mustard can tolerate full sun due to the cooler temperatures, but in the summer it is best planted in a partially shaded area or using a shade cloth.
You can also start & grow mustard in large pots or containers.
Sow every two weeks in succession for continuous harvest throughout the year.
Harvest mustard as early as 25 days by picking off the largest leaves at the base of the plant first, or wait to harvest the entire head at fully maturity in 45-50 days.
The smaller leaves have a more tender texture and delicate flavor than the larger leaves, which can be quite spicy and intense in flavor.
Mustard can tolerate light frost, but if heavy frost comes, provide protection for the plant with some fleece cloth, greenhouse plastic or row cover.
Mustard flowers are also edible and make an excellent garnish.
